Owning a business can be a scary venture. Having a business today when social media is at its height is can be even scary.
Why?
When you think about owning a business and the impact social media can have on sales and credibility, you might think that you’ve got nothing but good times coming your way! And this is partially true. Social media can be the best way to increase your client database, build credibility, and create passive income revenue streams.
But, there’s a flipside to that coin that every business owner should know before they start their own business.
According to a recent study done by Sprout (you can find out more details here in this article), many consumers believe that businesses gain credibility from social media. This sounds like a no-brainer, right? If more people talk about your business in a good way, the more people will want to buy your services/products.
But what happens when you have a bad review, a disgruntled customer, or a product that failed to meet expectations?
Then social media can become an enemy rather than an ally! Customers can rant and discuss in a public forum that could reach millions of people with a few shares and likes, which can leave your company’s name in the dirt.
It’s safe to say that no company wants to face this kind of scrutiny for a potential mix up or miscommunication in such a public manner. Of course things happen and customers aren’t always happy (no matter how hard you strive for this to be the case), but you can’t afford to have one unhappy customer turn into a million failed leads.
So how do you stop this from happening? You can’t stop a customer from being unhappy or a product potentially failing to meet expectations here and there (that’s just how business goes…), but you can stop it from spreading like wildfire and creating a massive storm you cannot calm.
The article mentioned above suggests that you have 24 hours to respond to a customer on social media after a complaint is made to remedy the situation. Making a public reply to the unhappy customer will show the rest of the world that you understand the mistake and are willing to own up to/fix whatever you need to fix!
On the other side of that, customers who make positive comments about your business or product should also be replied to within 24 hours! This will keep your credibility high and customers happy! And of course, happy customers are going to continuously promote you to others when they’re happy with your services/products.
How long do you have to respond to customers (happy and upset) on social media? 24 hours.
Keep up with positive and negative comments and watch your approval go sky-high!